Careful What You Wish For
by splashfire99
Summary: Based on Stephen Sondheim's 'Into The Woods' Musical. A couple of beyblade characters, all with various different wishes and backgrounds of their own, want to obtain their wishes for themselves. By sheer coincidence, they come across each other and end up receiving their wishes...but each wish comes at a price. Kyo/Hika, Masa/OC, Hyo/OC
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 **...**

"Wishes." A female voice says. "You know what they are, right? All of you, no matter how young or old, must wish for something in your life. It could be anything. Everyone's wishes are different. A wish can be a small thought tucked very obscurely at the back of your head. A wish can also be a big goal that consumes your mind, pulling you towards it with an invisible but strong force. Wishes are sometimes easy ones that you can grab within your reach, and sometimes wishes are far away and out of your bounds. Sometimes, no matter how much you want it, you believe it may never come true…"

"…Seriously?" A male voice interrupts.

"What the-what the heck, Hyoma, what are you doing here?!"

"Karly, I'm supposed to be on soon, that's why."

"I know that, but I'm narrating here! You just destroyed the drama and suspense I was trying to build up!"

"You build up drama and suspense by describing wishes?"

"No!….Yes! Agh, just let me get on with it, okay? You can come in later for narration if you want!"

After a moment of silence, the boy gave in."Fine…"

The girl continues,"Anyway…people can go to great lengths to obtain their wishes. Some want it so badly, that they develop little concern over the ripple effect that their careless actions could cause, and how others would be affected."

"This story is about many different characters. The first is an orphaned boy by the name of Hyoma, labelled 'Cinderfella' by his cruel stepfamily. The second is a poor boy named Masamune, who lives with his mother and is struggling to make ends meet. The third is a redhead named Carol, who lives with her mother and often tends to her grandmother who lived in the woods. The fourth is a lonely girl named Hikaru, with incredibly long blue locks and forever condemned to a stone tower deep in the woods. The final characters are a married couple. The boy, Makota, frustrated and uncaring for his wife, wants nothing more than a child to carry down his family name. The girl, who is devoted to her job and her unloving husband, wants a child also to complete their family, and hopes that it will make her husband love her again. This girl is also…me, Karly."

"As with what I've told you, it is easy to tell that these people are all from different walks of life. All with different goals in life, different..wishes. They should never have actually crossed paths at all. But they did, deep in the woods. While they were attempting to fulfill their wishes." "

"And they tried achieving their wishes off each other."

...

 **Splashfire99:**...Damn, that was a short prologue. Anyway, I haven't written a Metal Fight Bey fic for quite some time, so I decided to write one after I watched Into The Woods. It was a good story, but I felt they still left some things unfinished and unexplained. So other than this story featuring Metal Fight Beyblade characters(and OCs), I'll try to expand the story a little more and tie up any loose ends left.

Oh yeah, and if you have any questions(or whatnot) you can review, I guess :3

First chapter will be up soon!


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Of course, Hyoma hadn't always been like this: his life used to be perfect. Until his mother succumbed to an illness, and his father remarried a widower, Lady Mizuchi.

Lady Mizuchi and her two sons Reiji and Ryuga moved in with them, and barely three months later, Hyoma's father had died mysteriously.

And what was even stranger was that his will left everything to Lady Mizuchi and her sons, much to their satisfaction. Either way, Hyoma had been too young to understand these things, and following his father's death he was quickly downgraded to the status of a lowly servant.

Hyoma had to do almost everything for his family: mopping the floor, washing the dishes, drying the clothes, you name it. Not only that, he was never allowed out of the house unless he was helping them to buy groceries. So he had no friends whatsoever to turn to, which made him pretty much lonely. Hyoma deserved a better life than this, but unfortunately he couldn't find the courage to stand up to his tyrannical stepfamily. I mean, really: who could stand up to a family like that?!

Anyway, Hyoma was presently watching his stepbrothers arguing over who was going to win the Princess's heart at an upcoming festival.

"Princess Rianna will never be able to take her eyes off me!" Ryuga boasted.

Reiji glared at Ryuga. "No way, she'll be wayyyy into me!" He yelled, shoving him. The two boys were shoving each other, shouting at the same time as Hyoma coughed.

"I guess I can go too?" He asked quietly. The two boys instantly stopped and stared at him.

"The scroll did state that anyone above thirteen is eligible to go." Hyoma explained.

The brothers looked at each other, at their stepbrother, and burst out into laughter.

"You?! Go to the festival?! " Reiji chortled. Hyoma watched the two boys clutching their stomachs with a perplexed look on his face.

"So? "

"Oh please. You're just a lowly servant, Hyoma." Ryuga said harshly.

"But-"

"You must stay at home." Lady Mizuchi strode out of the kitchen. "You have chores to complete before we get back. "

She placed a hand on Makota and Hisoka's shoulders and smiled at the both of them. "It will be good if one of you were to go out with Princess Rianna." She told them. Hyoma said nothing more, taking his broom and finishing up his task of sweeping.

"Although... Hyoma." Hyoma looked up hopefully.

"Yes? "

"As a special treat, I will allow you to take a break and help your stepbrothers get ready for the ball." Lady Mizuchi said.

Hyoma's face fell a little as Reiji and Ryuga started laughing again. "Okay." Hyoma said, his face blank as the jeering and mockery from his stepbrothers filled his ears.

...

"Masamune!"

Masamune froze as his mother barged into the room and quickly snagged him by the ear. "What are you doing lazing around like that in the house, hurry up and get out here!" She barked, pulling him out of their small house.

Masamune was pretty much used to getting snagged by the ear by his mother nowadays. After all, Masamune himself was the only one who could afford to help his mother now. Masamune's father had died a few years ago, and ever since then, their family had fallen for pretty hard times. It seemed that no matter how many crops they had grown and how many animals they had sold, there was still no visible improvements to their lives. And as the years had melted away, so had his mother's patience with him. So she was usually very cranky and hot tempted with him how, especially if he was unsuccessful in his supposed business exploits in the market.

"You need to get to the market now!" His mother continued barking, pulling Masamune into the barn.

"To sell what…" Masamune's voice trailed off.

To earn a living for themselves, Masamune and his mother had to sell a lot of things. And I mean, A LOT. Seriously, other than their rickety old house and their scrappy looking belongings, everything else was gone. Except for one thing…

"You are taking this cow to the market right now!" His mother ordered, taking hold of the cow's leash and shoving it roughly into her son's hand. "We need money!"

"Then what happens if we sell the cow, mother? We have nothing left to sell after this-"

"Just get on with ya!" The woman snapped, pelting Masamune lightly on the head. "You can talk after you sell the cow! Besides, she's useless and old!"

Masamune sighed with defeat. "Yes, mum…"

As he very slowly led the cow out of the barnyard, he could hear the sound of his mother ranting about how her dim witted son had most probably been dreaming of unicorns at night.

...

"Dang, the bread almost burnt in there!" Makota snapped grumpily, hauling the tray out of the oven and dumping it on the table with the other loaves.

"Just try to be patient." Karly told him calmly, adjusting some of the pastries and what not. As per usual, her husband glared at her.

"Huh, easy for you to say. You do this job all the time. I'm only joining you because that factory I was working in laid me off." He muttered angrily. "Maybe you should concentrate more on other things than baking."

"…Makota, I know you want us to have a child. Believe me, I tried…"

"Then try harder!" Makota retorted, shoving another tray Into the oven. "I need a son to carry down my family name!"

As her husband continued grumbling behind her, small tears stung Karly's eyes. Nowadays, Makota seemed to have grown tired of her. All he wanted from her now was a child. She wanted a child too, but that was because she felt a child would bring more joy and completion into the family. And maybe, just maybe, she could win her husband's love back…

As Karly looked from kneading dough, she noticed a redheaded girl with a red cloak of some sort and a small basket on her arm coming into the bakery.

"Morning, Karly!" The girl said.

"Morning, Carol." Karly greeted the girl with a kind smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh…I need bread for my grandmother again. She's sick, and she lives in the woods, remember?"

"Of course. Here you are." As Karly piled some bread into Carol's basket, she failed to notice Makota gaping in disbelief at her.

Carol smiled and bowed, a sign of gratitude and respect even though she was practically almost the same age as Karly. "Thanks so much!"

"You sure you'll be safe walking alone?"

"Yes. I'm sure if I just follow the path, I'll be fine."

"Alright…bye!" Karly waved to Carol as the girl skipped merrily out of the bakery.

"Did you just give away our bread to her for free?!" Makota said sharply.

"Makota, calm down. I know her very well, and her family is very poor. I'm just trying to help her."  
Makota groaned and turned back to whatever he was doing. "Oh yeah, well it's not helping us." He grumbled under his breath.

...

Reiji and Ryuga, decked in their best outfits like over decorated Christmas trees, clambered into the carriage outside the Mizuchi residence, chattering excitedly and noisily amongst themselves. Hyoma stood by in his faded servant's uniform as Lady Mizuchi got into the carriage after her sons.

In one last attempt, Hyoma spoke up.

"I'm sure I could be there for at least one day. After all, the festival does last over three days…"

As he had expected, his stepmother gave him a cruel smile.

"Please, Hyoma." The woman scoffed, looking him up and down. "Look at your hair and your clothes, all covered in cinders and messy and unkempt! You'll be a black sheep to me and my sons!"

She then turned her attention to the coachman. "The festival starts in fifteen minutes time. We must leave, now!"

The carriage took off, leaving poor Hyoma in the dust…quite literally.

He stood watching his stepfamily disappear into the distance with a heavy heart.

 _This just isn't fair…_ He thought to himself. _I wish I could go too…_

Remembering his late mother's advice to stay positive, Hyoma sighed and tried his best to smile. _Maybe I'll just go and give my mother's grave a visit in the woods. That'll help me. It always does._

Making sure that his stepfamily was truly long gone, Hyoma quickly left for the forest nearby.

…

Makota and Karly were just bringing out a new batch of bread when the bakery door creaked open. "Good morning, what can I do for-" Karly stopped short when she saw who it was.

The person who had come in was an old woman with long grey hair who wore a long black dress. They knew this woman very well: She lived just opposite them, and she was supposed to be a witch. But never had she come to ask for bread before.

Trying to ignore how unsettled and fearful she felt, Karly attempted to greet the old lady with her usual politeness. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, it should be what I can do for you." The woman replied, pointing a long, bony finger at Karly. "You and your husband wish to have a child, am I right?"

Both Makota and Karly were stunned. They had barely seen this woman out of her house, and yet, strangely, she knew of their predicament.

"Yeah…" Makota said.

The old woman grinned a grin. It wasn't a friendly one.

"Perhaps I can help you. If you do what I say, you will have a son."

Karly stared at the woman, while Makota immediately scoffed and waved a hand. "Pfft, why should WE follow you?"

The woman raised an eyebrow haughtily at Makota. "Because if you don't, the curse will never be lifted."

"What curse?" Karly asked, her face turning pale.

The woman stared for a couple of seconds before speaking. "Your mother died and your father left when you were very young, am I right young lady?"

After a moment of hesitation, Karly nodded.

The witch continued on. "You see…your mother was pregnant, and she craved for some of the vegetables in my garden. And so your father sneaked into my garden and stole some!" There was a noticeable tinge of anger in her voice. "But I caught him. I told him that in exchange for all the vegetables he stole, I would have his child once she was born."

This sudden piece of news seemed to bring the whole world to a standstill. Karly's grey eyes widened, flabbergasted.

"I had…a sister?" How could she have not known this?

"That's not the point." The witch snapped. "Anyway, the deal was made, but as he went back out of the garden, the thief stole my precious magic beans! My mother had told me that if I were to lose those beans, I would be cursed with ugliness!"

Ugliness? Looks must've been very important to this witch.

"And so…I turned into this!" She spat, looking at herself with disgust. "So, after I took away their child, I placed a curse on this household, that there would be no children borne to them ever again!"

"What? No!" Karly gasped.

"Are you kidding me?" Makota snapped angrily, glaring at the witch. "So it's your fault I can't have children!"

The witch took a few steps towards Karly. "Your father left you in the care of your uncle after your mother died. He never cared for you anymore….only fair that his only daughter don't have children to care for either…unless…"

"Unless what?" Makota cut in. He was all ears if this was a matter concerning his family tree.

"Unless…you go into the forest and find four items for me." The witch rasped. "A cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as blue as the sky, and a shoe as pure as gold. Then, the curse will be lifted. And it has to be by three midnights from now! Only then a blue moon will appear and the spell can be lifted! And your wish will be granted!"

The couple, who were by now desperate for a child of their own, hurriedly agreed to the witch's demands.

"Of course, of course." Makota quickly said. "We'll get those things for you!"

"See to it that you do!" The witch said, before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

After packing up the things needed along the journey, Karly left the bakery. She had told Makota to stay behind and wait for her to return. After all, the witch had placed the curse on her family: which meant that indirectly, she was responsible for her and Makota's inability to have children. And it was her responsibility to break the spell.

It just so happened that on the outskirts of the wood, Karly caught sight of a pale violet haired boy scrambling across the grass. She barely had time to observe him carefully before the boy vanished behind a cluster of trees. Huh, I wonder where he's going in such a hurry, she thought to herself, walking into the forest.

As she walked, the witch's words echoed in her mind.

 _Your wish will be granted!_

...

 **Splashfire99:** Okay…that was…strange. I'll try and bring in Hikaru during the next chapter. Btw all the main characters (including Carol and Masamune)are supposed to be around the same age.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

...

Hyoma's mother's grave was situated in a small clearing just a distance into the woods. Apparently, when she had been first buried, Hyoma had planted a small branch to mark her grave. But as he visited the grave, his tears from missing his parents and enduring the torment from his stepfamily helped that small branch to grow into a huge willow tree that towered over him.

Hyoma knelt on the grass before the large willow tree, his eyes cast to the ground. He felt hollow and empty, as though his life didn't seem to have any other meaning other than serving people. _Oh mother...what do I do?_ He closed his eyes and sighed despondently. _If only you were here…I wish I could go…_

 ** _Are you sure that is your wish?_**

 _Who is that?_ Hyoma's head shot up, and he looked around in confusion.

 ** _Are you sure that is your wish?_**

 _Mother?_ Hyoma stared at the tree. _Is that you?_

 ** _Look at the tree, my darling._** The voice echoed. **_Your wish will come true…_**

To Hyoma's surprise, the golden leaves of the willow tree swirled off their branches and surrounded him. The leaves glowed brightly, and his dusty servant's uniform was gradually changed into a white and gold princely uniform. A couple of leaves landed on his head and transformed into a shimmering golden crown.

As the leaves disappeared, Hyoma stared down at himself in disbelief. "Wow…that was…" Putting a hand to his head, he realised his hair was somehow also no longer rough and messy, but smooth as though it had been perfectly combed. The cinders covering it had vanished as well, such that it glowed a little in the afternoon sun.

A smile formed on his face as happiness filled his heart. He could definitely go to the festival now. He looked up at the willow tree once more.

"Thank you, mother." He whispered, before running off in the direction of the castle.

Carol skipped merrily through the wood, whistling cheerfully. She knew the familiar path well enough, so she was very confident she wouldn't get lost.

As she skipped along, she repeated her mother's instructions in her head.

 _Just as she said, straight ahead, don't delay or be mislead. Straight ahead, don't delay or be mislead, straight ahead…_

Her train of thought was cut short when a tall shadow fell across her path.

"Why, hello there, little girl." The wolf rasped, grinning and pushing up his frameless glasses.

The girl looked up at the wolf and smiled.

"Morning, Mr Wolf." She greeted him cheerfully.

"Where are you headed?"

"To my grandmother's house." Came the innocent reply.

Of course, Carol knew very well that her mother had warned her of wolves and strangers. But though this wolf was both a wolf and a stranger to her, he seemed rather friendly.

"Ah, I…see." The wolf grinned, revealing his teeth. "And…what's in that little basket you're carrying with you?" He asked, eyeing the object in particular.

"Some bread for my grandmother. She is ill after all." Carol answered.

"Hmm…Where does…your grandmother live?"

"In a great oak tree, not too far from here." Quickly recalling her mother's instructions on not to delay, the redhead quickly added, "I must be going now. Bye Mr Wolf."

She wasn't able to get very far when the wolf caught up to her.

"Oh come on, little girl." The wolf chuckled. "Must you stick to this same path to go to your grandmother's house? I know a much better way…"

Carol attempted to step past the bespectacled wolf but was unsuccessful.

"My mother told me specifically to-"

"Hah!" The wolf waved his paw dismissively. "Who cares what your mother said? You're missing all the beautiful flowers!"

The word 'flowers' made the girl look at the wolf in astonishment.

"Flowers?"

Carol found herself being led off her familiar pathway, a little further through a couple of trees and into a small little clearing. She gasped when she saw that the small clearing was covered with flowers. The flowers were of various colours, all fully blossomed and basking in the sun, and the dewdrops on their petals made it look as though they were sparkling.

Despite the nagging fact that this beautiful flower patch was still pretty much way off her path, Carol couldn't help being drawn in to them.

"They're beautiful…" She said, reaching out to pick some. "I don't think mother would mind if I picked some for grandmother…"

As she became engrossed with the flowers, the wolf stepped away. Making sure she wasn't paying attention to whatever he was doing, he slunk off into the trees, sniggering.

"A great oak tree, hm? Heh…heh…" The wolf grinned ravenously and licked his lips. "Granny will certainly make a good me-oh, come on!"

The wolf turned and glared straight at where the camera/screen was supposed to be.

"This is ridiculous!" The wolf snapped. "Why do I have to be the wolf? I know my beyblade is a wolf, and I'm practically evil, but really?! I can't eat a frail old woman! It's tremendously uncivilized!"

"Just get on with it!" Karly's irritated voice came from offscreen.

"We don't care, Doji!" Masamune's voice added.

The wolf groaned.

"Fine, fine, fine…"

He walked off, flapping his fur as he went off to Carol's grandmother's house.

"Good heavens, this stupid costume makes it so stuffy inside!" He grumbled under his breath.

Carol was still busy picking flowers when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Oh, uh...hello again, Carol!" Carol stood up as Karly greeted her.

"Hello there, Karly." Carol replied, piling the flowers into her basket.

For some reason, Karly looked a little nervous behind that friendly smile. "So…did you keep that bread for granny?" She asked, glancing around quickly.

"Uh…actually…I ate half of the bread…" Carol admitted uncomfortably.

"I see." Karly said with her smile. "Anyway…Where'd you get that amazing red cape from?"

"Oh, this?" Carol flapped her red cape a little. "My grandmother made it for me."

"Nice!" Karly commented, still sounding a little forced with her friendliness and small talk. "I would give anything to have a cape like that!"

Carol tried to picture her friend in her red cape.

"You know, you'd look kind of stupid."

"Right…"

To Carol's surprise, Karly suddenly lunged at her. Carol shrieked as she felt the other girl's hands tugging feverishly at her red cape.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Carol shouted, quickly trying to keep her cape from being snatched.

Unfortunately, Carol wasn't strong enough, and Karly eventually snatched the cape from her and dashed off.

Fortunately, Carol let out a long, high pitched scream.

Seconds later, Karly came scrambling back.

"Sorry! Really sorry! I was just-" Karly babbled rapidly, quickly draping the red cape back on Carol's shoulders. "I just needed to confirm that you reaaally love that cape!"

Carol took a quick step away from Karly, glaring at her friend.

"You are seriously acting weird today, Karly."

"Eheh." Karly looked sheepish. "Well, get going now, Carol. And don't run into any wolves on the way!"

"Pfft, I'd rather run into a wolf than you!" Carol retorted angrily, taking up her basket and stomping off.

As the redhead stormed off, Karly groaned and turned away.

"Agh! How am I supposed to get the items?" She grumbled. Carol was a friend of hers, and it just so happened that she had a cape as red as blood with her. What luck.

She was wondering whether to rest for a while when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"White cow, red cape, blue hair, gold shoe…"

Karly spun around to see none other than her husband Makota trudging through the grass. Her eyes widened.

"Makota? What are you doing here?!"

"Come on, Karly!" Makota retorted, stepping over to her. "I'm not sitting at the bakery waiting for you, I have to help!"

 _He cares about me?_ Karly's heart fluttered.

"We must lift the spell together if I am to get a child!"

Karly's heart sank. _Okay, maybe not so much about me, but about the baby…but still…_

"Look, Makota. The spell is on my bloodline and mine alone! It's too dangerous out here!"

"Too dangerous? What are you talking abo-"

"Uh…are you two alright there?"

The couple stopped arguing and turned.

A spiky haired boy in dusty old clothes was staring at them in confusion. Quickly, the twosome smiled at him.

"Yeah, we're fine." Makota said.

The couple caught sight of an animal the boy had on a leash with him. Their eyes widened in disbelief.

It was a cow. A WHITE cow.

It was a cow as white as milk!

"Where are you headed to?" Makota swiftly asked the boy.

"I was headed to the marketplace with my cow." The boy replied, looking around worriedly. "I think I'm lost…"

"Ahhh…I see…" Makota replied, smiling warmly. "How much are you selling the cow for, may I ask?"

"Five pounds."

FIVE POUNDS?! Makota and Karly quickly turned away and whispered furiously amongst themselves.

"Five pounds? He's kidding us, right?" Karly hissed. "Did you bring that much?"

"No, of course not!" Makota quietly snapped back. "Did you bring anything else besides the things in your bag?"

"I don't know…" In desperation, Karly searched in her coat pockets.

 _Come on, this is my dad's coat. There has to be some amount of spare change in here…_

Masamune watched the bickering couple, wondering what they were arguing about.

After a couple of seconds more, the couple turned to face him.

"Oh no!" The boy cried, holding out what looked like six normal beans. "We can't give up our beans, but I guess we have no choice!"

Masamune squinted curiously. "Beans?"

"Right! Beans!" The girl added quickly, stepping to her husband's side.

Of course, Masamune was not going to accept this.

"Who gives beans to buy a cow?" He asked skeptically.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Please, these are no ordinary beans. They're magic beans!"

"Magic?"

"Yeah, magic."

"What kind of magic?

The boy hesitated for a moment before turning to his wife. "Uh, honey?"

"Um…they're very magical." The girl said. "They're so magical, I have no words to describe how magical they are. Each of them is worth one pound."

"Okay, I see." Masamune hesitated, before deciding that it was best for the cow to be sold right there and then.

Actually though, the cow was pretty much the longest animal Masamune had kept at his farm, and he felt as though she was a friend of his. Giving her up was like giving up a part of himself. But given his mother's behaviour, it was probably just him. Ah well…

A relieved Makota counted five of the magic beans, giving the one remaining bean to Karly before handing the five to the spiky haired boy.

"I…can buy her back someday…can I?" The boy asked softly.

"Yes." Karly said.

"Maybe.." Makota muttered.

The boy passed the leash for the cow to Makota, before hugging the cow one final time.

"I'll come back for you soon, buddy." He whispered sadly.

Karly looked awkwardly and regretfully at the small heartfelt scene, casting a quick glare at Makota, who looked away.

The couple watched as the boy took the five beans and went off. As soon as he was out of earshot, Karly let out an angry huff and turned away.

"Are you kidding me, Makota?! Magic beans?!"

Both of them clearly remembered the witch had referred to them as magic beans, but were both clueless as to what kind of magic. So, both had felt as though they had just told a nasty lie to whoever that poor boy was.

"Well, at least we have the cow…" Makota pointed out, looking at the animal as she grazed the grass.

"Did you have to lie to the boy like that?!"

"Anyone else would've done the same thing."

Still seething a little, Karly sighed.

"Fine. Take the cow back home. I'll handle the rest."

"But-"

"Just take the cow back home, okay?"

Sensing that there was no way to convince Karly otherwise, Makota gave in with exasperation.

"Okay, okay!"

"Goodbye." Karly said.

Not even returning the goodbye, Makota led the cow off.

...

Not far off, right in the thick of the woods, was a desolate stone tower. It was presumably what remained of a giant castle, the other parts broken off, in ruin and covered with vines.

The witch(the same witch who cursed Karly's bloodline) scrambled to the foot of the tower, staring up at the figure who was at the window.

Sitting just by the window was a young girl with slightly dark skin and purple bluish eyes. She stared out the window of the stone tower, her blue hair shimmering in the light as she sang tune to herself.

Below her, the witch waved frantically to get her attention.

"Hikaru, dearie! Down here!"

"Hm?" Hikaru ceased her singing and looked down, quickly recognising her mother at the foot of the stone tower.

"Let down your hair, please Hikaru!" The old woman called out.

Quickly, Hikaru took her very, very long braid of hair and lowered it down, little by little for her mother to climb on. To lessen the pressure on her hair, Hikaru hung her braid on a hook just near the window. Below, the witch took a strong grip on her daughter's blue braid and began her climb up.

Hikaru, as you would have guessed, was none other than Karly's long lost sister. After the witch had stolen her, she had raised her in the stone tower. The stone tower had no exits, and it was smack in the middle of the forest…surely no one would ever find her there.

However, what the witch did not know was that Hikaru's singing as her days went by in the tower echoed through the sky. And it had attracted a stranger to the tower.

Not far from the stone tower and hiding behind a stone wall with a horse behind him was a green haired prince. To be exact, this Prince was none other than Prince Kyoya himself, brother to Princess Rianna and pretty much heir to the throne. He stared, astonished by the sight of an old woman climbing up the braid of blue hair. His heart couldn't help but flutter, however, seeing the beautiful maiden sitting in the tower.

"Hikaru, huh?" Prince Kyoya mused with a smile, mounting his horse once again. "I'll come for you soon."

Taking one last longing glance at Hikaru as the old woman sat beside her at the tower window, both of them talking happily, he rode off into the distance.

...

After walking a fair distance, Carol finally spotted her grandmother's house in the distance. To her surprise and confusion, however, the door to the oak tree house was very slightly ajar. Carol knew her grandmother very well, and she knew for sure that for a fact, her grandmother was always cautious not to leave the door open or unlocked like that. Carol gulped nervously. _Just calm down. Maybe old age got to her or something…_ Cautiously, Carol fully pushed open the door and went inside.

"Grandma?" Carol called.

"Oh, do come in, my dear." A voice, sounding strangely deep and hoarse for her granny, replied.

Forgetting to close the door, Carol very slowly stepped over to her grandmother's bed, peering closely at the figure lying there. Her grandmother was covered up to the chin in the bed, wearing her nightdress and nightcap. Something seemed a little…off about her, however. Her skin seemed darker and more furry, and her hands, pulling the sheets over her looked noticeably more like paws.

Apprehensively, Carol stopped at the edge of the bed, clutching her basket.

"You seem to have…very big ears…Grandma."

Her grandmother smiled at her.

"All the better to hear you with…dear."

She then opened her mouth to reveal two rows of sharp teeth.

A loud scream halted Karly in her tracks.

Immediately realising whose scream it was, Karly looked up at where the scream had come from. It had come from a big oak tree which looked as though it had been made into a house. The front door was strangely wide open.

Karly was filled with concern for Carol, despite having attempted to steal her cape earlier, and taking a kitchen knife from her bag…

"Wait. Why'd I bring a kitchen knife in the first place?" Karly asked, staring at the screen in confusion. "It sounds kinda weird even though I'm supposed to be a baker."

"It was for self defense." Hyoma's voice came faintly offscreen. "You're in the woods, remember?"

Karly sighed. "Right."

Anyway, taking the kitchen knife, Karly walked into the house. Right inside, lying in a small bed in the centre of the room, illuminated by the dim glow of sunset, was a wolf dressed in a nightdress and nightcap and spectacles. His stomach looked rather bloated, and he was snoring soundly.

Very quietly, Karly tiptoed over to the bed, fearfully gripping the knife.

Where in the world was Carol?

Spotting the fallen basket next to the bed, Karly could easily guess.

"Help! Get us out of here!" Came a muffled voice.  
Karly blinked. _That was Carol's voice!_ She thought, glancing around. _Where is she?_

"Help!" Came Carol's voice again.

There was a pause when Karly realised the cry for help was actually coming from the sleeping wolf's stomach.

 _Oh boy…I never thought I would do this, but…I have to save them…_ Taking a deep breath, Karly raised the knife up over the wolf's big stomach and cut it open.

A loud howl, signifying the end of the greedy wolf, resonated throughout the forest.

Karly stumbled out of the oak tree, feeling sick.

Carol and her grandmother followed her out.

"Aren't you going to help us skin that wolf?" The old lady shouted.

"Oh, no! Definitely no!"

"What kind of Hunter doesn't skin wolves?"

"I'm a baker, not a hunter!"

"Wait!" Carol rushed to Karly's side as her grandmother went back into her house to uh, skin the wolf.

"You saved my-I mean, our lives, Karly!" Carol said, grabbing Karly by the arm and pulling her around. "Thank you so much."

Karly was rather taken by surprise when the redheaded girl hugged her.

"Uh…no problem, really. I was just helping."

Carol pulled away with a smile. Karly was taken by surprise even further when she took off her red cape and held it out to her.

"Really?" Karly took the cape from her, astonished.

The girl nodded, still smiling. "It's the least I could give you. Besides, grandma is probably going to make me a new coat out of wolfskins."

Trying not to feel sick again at the thought of the wolf, Karly hugged Carol. "Thank you!"

The two girls waved to each other before Karly went off with the red cape.

Carol smiled to herself. Ah, well. She'd learnt an important lesson.

"I'll never stray from the path again," She promised herself. "And no more delays next time."

With that, she went back into her grandmother's house.

...

"Beans?!" Masamune's mother's eyes bulged with terror at the sight of the worthless things in her hand. "You sold our cow off for beans?!"

"It was all they had…"

"What is wrong with you, Masamune?!" His mother reprimanded him.

"But…they're magic beans!" Masamune insisted. "The couple told me themselves!"

Having tolerated enough of her son's foolishness, the mother grabbed her son by the ear(again) and pulled him inside the house, yelling at him all the way. On the way, in her anger, she threw the five beans on the ground.

The beans disappeared into the ground with a puff of smoke, and something green and leafy began to sprout from where they had been.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Karly trudged around in the woods, grumbling under her breath. They had the red cape, they had the white cow, and…what was left?

"Blue hair….uh…gold shoe…?" She muttered thoughtfully. Only two items left, she guessed from memory. It was almost impossible to find any blue hair or gold shoes lying around the wood, so Karly decided that she would have to be quick and thorough if she wanted to have a child for Makota's sake.

Unfortunately, it was now nighttime, and the darkness was making it very hard to see…

"No worries!" Karly said, pulling a flashlight out of her bag with a smirk. "I can use this!"

Turning on the flashlight, Karly continued walking.

"Now just hang on a minute!" A voice yelled off-screen, startling the girl.

Seconds later, Kyoya trudged onscreen in his Prince outfit.

"You're not supposed to have a flashlight!" He snapped, agitated.

"But I can't see-hey!"

Karly shouted as Kyoya snatched the flashlight from her hands with a glare.

"Just go on with it!" He said, walking off. "Flashlights don't exist in this era anyways!"

Without the flashlight, Karly was forced to once again grope around in the dark woods, with the moon as her only source of light(which didn't exactly help that much).

Suddenly, Karly's ears picked up the distant sound of running feet. The sound grew louder and louder. Fear gradually arising, Karly attempted to go in the opposite direction from the sound, but the trees seemed to be surrounding and blocking her off from every direction.

Suddenly, there was a shriek as a figure tumbled out from behind a large tree and onto the grass in front of her.

Karly was startled for a few seconds, before her vision refocused. It was the pale violet haired boy she had seen briefly outside the woods a few hours ago. Except this time, he resembled a prince more than a servant. Karly hesitantly stepped closer as the boy sat in the grass, gasping for breath and dusting himself off.

"Are you…okay?"

The boy looked up at Karly in surprise, having not noticed her until now. The way he blinked, revealing his startling blue eyes strangely captivated her. His pale violet hair ruffled gently in the night breeze.

"I-I'm fine." The boy mumbled, attempting to get to his feet and adjusting the small golden crown atop his head. "Just…fell over."

Karly walked over and helped him up.

"Nice outfit." She commented with a smile. "Were you at the king's festival?"

Still catching his breath a little, the boy nodded. "Yes…"

There was a distinct sound of galloping horses, making the boy jolt.

"Oh no." He muttered.

"What's the matter?" There were a couple of lights seen nearing the area of the wood. Along with it, the galloping grew even louder and nearer.

Looking desperate, the boy quickly turned to Karly with anxiety in his blue eyes.

"I have to hide." He hissed. "Don't tell them I'm here!"

"Tell who…?" Karly was flabbergasted as the boy scrambled to hide behind a nearby slope.

"Hey, you there!"

Karly spun round to see a group of horses gallop into the small area.

Most of them were guards, holding brightly burning torches. Another one of them was a short brown haired boy with glasses that Karly presumed to be the steward. The last one, right at the front of the group, was a beautiful purple haired girl with violet eyes who had a glittering tiara with rubies on her head.

It was Princess Rianna.

"Have you seen a pale violet haired boy in white and gold outfit pass through here?" The princess asked.

Stunned, Karly shook her head. "No…"

The princess sighed. "Ah well…thanks anyway." Turning to the guards and her steward, she ordered, "Let's carry on! He should be around here somewhere!"

The princess and her little group rode off. As the light and the galloping noises faded away, the boy came out of his hiding spot with a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank you so much!" He said, clasping Karly's hands gratefully.

For some reason, Karly's heart jumped.

"Uh…no problem."

Then, after a pause, the boy asked, "What are you doing out in the forest at night?"

"Oh, uh…" Karly laughed awkwardly. "I'm reversing an spell."

The boy cast her a funny look. "Okay…"

"So…" Karly couldn't help feeling a little curious about the royal family. "How was the princess like? She was definitely looking for you, right?"

The boy sighed heavily.

"Oh…you mean Princess Rianna? Yeah, she's a nice girl."

"Why is she looking for you?"

"I…danced with her at the festival."

"I see…" Karly studied the boy curiously. "Why did you leave so early, then? You're kinda lucky if the Princess has eyes for you."

The boy sighed heavily. He sounded rather troubled.

"It's…not as easy as you think it is."

"Why? I mean, you're a prince, right?"

"Huh?" The boy looked at her in confusion before looking up at his head and remembering that he was wearing a crown.

"I'm not a prince. I live in a house with my stepfamily at the edge of town."

"Oh…"

After a period of silence, the boy spoke again.

"That's the problem. Princess Rianna probably thinks I'm a person of high status when I'm nothing more than a servant in my own house. What if she won't accept me for who I really am?"

Karly couldn't help feeling sorry for him when he said that. Sitting down beside him, she reached over and patted him on the shoulder. That made the boy jolt slightly again, and he looked at her in surprise.

"Hey, it'll be okay. Trust me." She reassured him. "Maybe if you think things over, you'll be fine."

The boy swallowed nervously and stood up.

"…Thanks. I guess."

He looked around hurriedly.

"I have to go before the Princess finds me. Goodbye and thanks for your help!"

"Goodbye."

As the boy ran away, a dim flash of light caught Karly's attention. It was coming from the boy's shoes.

Upon peering at the shoes, Karly's eyes widened with disbelief.

The boy's shoes were gold!

"W-wait, I think I might need your shoe-"

The boy, and his gold shoes, vanished into the trees before she could finish.

Karly was left staring at where he had gone off to, wondering who in the world that had been.

There was a flash of lightning.

Karly shrieked and turned around to see the witch standing a distance away on top of the slope, her thick scraggly grey hair billowing wildly in the night wind which was suddenly whipping around them.

"One midnight gone!" She shrieked.

Karly stared at her in disbelief. "Wha-what?! Already?!"

"Hurry up!" The woman snapped, waving her hands agitatedly as the lightning flashed around her. "Get the items!"

Fearfully, Karly nodded shakily.

"Yeah…o-okay, sure thing!"

She quickly scrambled off through the trees, the howling of the wind in her ears.

 **The Next Day**

Karly, who had grown immensely tired after searching for the items the day before, had dozed off on a small patch of grass. Having acquired Carol's red hood the day before, she used it as a temporary blanket.

The moment she woke, she noticed something tall, thick and green stretching into the sky a distance away.

That hadn't been there the day before.

Startled, Karly scrambled up to take a good look.

"Oh my-"

Whatever that was, it looked like some kind of tall, giant beanstalk.

"Miss!" Came a shout.

Recognising the voice, Karly turned to see that same spiky haired boy that had sold them the cow the day before running up to her excitedly with a big brown sack in his hands.

"Oh, it's you. What are you doing here?"

Unlike yesterday, the boy's eyes were bright and filled with energy. The boy bounced up to her with the big brown sack.

"There are giants in the sky, miss!" The boy declared triumphantly.

Karly's mouth dropped open in confusion, staring at him as though he had four eyes.

"What?"

"Yes, exactly!" The boy said excitedly. "I saw them myself by climbing up that beanstalk that grew fron the magic beans you gave me!"

So that was what the beans were supposed to do?

"Wait…uh Mister…"

"My name's Masamune."

"Masamune. You're telling me giants walk on the clouds?"

"Yes, they do! They have their own house up there, believe me!" Masamune said. "I got up this morning and climbed up on the beanstalk. The house was like twenty times as large as a normal house! And the giants themselves….we're like ants compared to them!"

Karly pretty much had better things to do than listen to Masamune ramble on about giants walking in the sky, reversing the spell being her top priority. However, Masamune kept on talking.

"You wouldn't believe it! Anyway, there's a couple that lives in the house! They took me in when I got up there and treated me so well, you should have seen how much food the giant woman cooked for me."

He then held up the giant brown sack he was carrying.

"Turns out the giant seems to be richer than the royal family, so, I'm sure he won't mind I took these from him."

He tossed the sack to Karly. Karly caught it and opened the sack. To her surprise and astonishment, there were five large gold coins, all of them the size of a large pizza.

"Five gold pieces." Masamune said proudly, before looking around in confusion. "And…where's my cow?"

"Oh…" Karly helpfully assumed Makota had found his way home by now.

"The cow is back at home with my husband Makota."

"Well then, let's go get her!"

"Wait!" Karly put a hand on Masamune's shoulder to stop him.

"Its-Its just that-"

"But you said I could buy the cow back."

"Yes, but, well-" Karly sought for an excuse but could find none.

"You want more money?"

"No! I-"

"That's no problem, I'll just go back up there and get more for you! I won't be long!"

Masamune dashed off into the trees before Karly could properly respond. "Now wait a minute-hey, I said wait!" Karly called, chasing after him. She came to an abrupt halt, however, when she saw a familiar figure walking into view.

"Makota?" She said in disbelief.

Makota's eyes widened when he saw the cape folded in his wife's arms.

"You've got the cape!" He exclaimed.

"Yes, I've got the cape. Only two items left to go."

"Uh…actually it would be three items."

"You mean excluding the cow?"

Makota took a step closer.

"You've got the cape." He repeated slowly.

Karly stared at him with horror as the information sank in.

"What have you done with the cow?!"

"Look, it was an accident, okay?" Makota finally blurted. "The cow ran off in the middle of the night before I could lead her back!"

Karly flared up at him. "How could you let her run away like that?!"

"She might as well have run away from you!"

"No she wouldn't!"

"Yes she would!"

"NO SHE WOU-"

There was a startling lightning flash and the sound of thunder as the witch suddenly appeared in the tree in front of them.

"What does it matter, you fools?!" The old lady shrieked at them. "The cow's gone, so GET IT BACK!"

As soon as she came, the witch vanished once more, leaving the two dumbfounded.

"…Sorry I lost the cow…" Makota muttered reluctantly.

"I shouldn't have yelled." Karly mumbled back. "Look, could you please go back? I'll find another cow and settle the rest of the items myself."

"Fine…"

Makota and Karly turned and walked away from each other.

Karly clutched the red cape with an angry frustrated sigh. She knew the only reason why Makota had intervened with this was because he wanted a child to carry on his family name. She, however, only seemed like a burden to him. Hopefully having a child would make her more valuable to him in some way.

Just then, Karly's ears picked up a faint sound.

" _Aaaa-aaaaaaaah….aaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaah_ …"

Was someone vocalising? Whoever that was, for sure the voice was a male one. And it was familiar also…

Out of curiosity, Karly followed the sound.

Hyoma was walking back from the marketplace in the next town, having gone there to run errands for his stepfamily. He was vocalising softly, as small little grey feathered birds fluttered gently around him, chirping happily. These birds were pretty much the only friends Hyoma had ever had in his life, and if possible they sometimes helped him out with the chores. Hyoma had grown to understand and communicate with them over time. The thing was, Hyoma had to sing a couple notes sometimes to call for them.

"Oh, it's you!"

Startled, Hyoma saw a black haired girl with onyx grey eyes come out on the pathway.

"Oh!" He recognised the girl who had helped him the night before. "Hello again."

"I like your song." The girl commented with a smile.

Hyoma turned pink. "Thanks…"

Meanwhile, the birds flittered beside Hyoma to perch on a long tree branch.

Now that the sun shone brightly through the leaves, Hyoma was able to take a good look at the girl. Her skin was slightly pale, her black hair only slightly longer down her shoulders. With her dusty faded clothes, Hyoma could tell she was just a normal villager. But despite how average she looked, Hyoma found himself somewhat shy speaking to her.

"I never got to know your name…" He said.

"My name? My name's Karly. You?"

"My name's Hyoma."

"Why are you in the forest at this time?"

"Oh…just…running errands for my stepfamily. And you're…still lifting the spell?"

"Yes, I am."

"I see…"

If he could, Hyoma would have willingly stayed put to talk to her. But he couldn't. After all, his stepfamily was very particular about the time he spent out of the house, even if it was for chores.

"I have to go now, my stepfamily is expecting me. It was a pleasure talking to you." Hyoma said, giving Karly a smile.

Karly smiled back.

"You too. Bye!"

She watched the boy head off before realizing something and slapping herself on the forehead.

"Crap, I didn't ask him about the gold shoes!" She groaned with dismay. Just what was it about Hyoma?

It just so happened that while Makota was walking, his ears picked up distinct voices from through the trees. Quickly nearing the source of the sound, Makota looked round a large tree to see two horses trotting through the woods. He quickly recognised the two riders as Princess Rianna and Prince Kyoya. They were heading his way, so Makota hastily hid behind the tree and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Wait. So who is this guy you met at the festival?" Prince Kyoya asked curiously.

"He's a nice person to be around." The princess sighed dreamily. "He's special…"

"You mean because of his funny hair colour?" Prince Kyoya said with a snigger.

Princess Rianna gave her brother a dark look.

"Hey!" Came Hyoma's voice from offscreen. "You have a funny hair colour too, you know!"

Princess Rianna sighed.

"No, Kyoya, not because of his hair colour…I meant that I've never seen anything like him before..."

"Rare to come by?"

"Yes."

Kyoya rolled his eyes with a scoff.

"Oh, please, Rianna. You want someone rare to come by, you should meet the girl I've started seeing." He boasted, puffing out his chest proudly.

Rianno narrowed her eyes at him. Of course, being members of the royal family, both of them had their egos.

"Oh really? How's she like?"

"Her name's lives in a very tall stone tower in the heart of the forest. She sings a beautiful melody while she rests by the window to pass the time. And the thing is, the tower doesn't have a door or anything. Anyone who visits her has to climb up to the window by her hair."

Rianna raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sorry, her hair?"

Kyoya nodded.

"Yes, her hair. Her hair is tied into a long braid that can reach from the window to the foot of the tower. You have to ask her to let down her hair for you. Her hair itself is already beautiful…if I remember, its as blue as the sky…"

Behind the tree, Makota clapped a hand over his mouth and stifled a gasp. Hair as blue as the sky!

Hoping the royals hadn't noticed him, Makota slipped off, reciting Kyoya's description in his head.

It took a long while, but as night fell, Makota came across a stone tower.

Makota hurried to the foot of the tower as it loomed over him, and gulping and hoping for the best.

"Uhh…Hikaru! Let down your, uh, hair to me!" He called out.

He quickly tried to hide out of sight against the tower walls as the window high above him opened and the blue haired girl poked her head out. Luckily, she couldn't see much in the dark.

"Is that you, Prince Kyoya?"

Prince Kyoya? Makota scratched his head. Remembering the conversation between the Prince and Princess, Makota mustered up his courage and mimicked the best Prince Kyoya voice he could do.

"Yes." He called quickly.

A couple of seconds later, The long blue braid came tumbling down. Makota grabbed the end and examined it closely. Just as he had heard, the hair was definitely as blue as the sky. But how to cut it?

Thoughtfully, Makota yanked on the braid, freezing when he heard a cry of pain far above him.

Okay, this wasn't going to be easy…

Makota quickly glanced up. The blue braid was supported by a small black metal hook protruding out of the side of the tower. Hmm…

Thinking fast, Makota dashed to the side, pulling the hair and once again causing a yell of pain from above. As he had hoped, the pull put a strain on the little metal hook, and with a single slice, a third of the braid came off.

Makota tumbled onto the dry grass, the braid falling just in his lap. Recovering quickly and getting up, Makota tangled the blue braid around his neck like a scarf and scrambled off.

At the window, Hikaru looked down. Whoever that was had vanished, and a third of her braid seemed to be missing.

She sighed and turned to the screen. "This how it's supposed to be? Some random guy cuts off my hair and I don't do anything?"

"You're in a seventy foot tower." Came Carol's voice, exasperated. "And it's the story, so just go along with it."

Hikaru rolled her eyes. "Fine."

...

 **Splashfire99: Wow, this took a while. Also, a little changes made from the original, so...**


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